I Challenged Mugabe, Nkomo To Kill Each Other To Resolve Disputes Claims Obasanjo

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has claimed that he challenged Zimbabwe nationalists Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo to fight each other using pistols during the days of the Second Chimurenga liberation war. Obasanjo said this at the African CEOs Forum in Abidjan explaining that he took the drastic step to make the two leaders that they should unite instead of fighting against each other as well as the Ian Smith led minority government. Said Obasanjo,

At some stage, Nkomo and Mugabe began using the guns we were supplying them to kill each other.

I tried to bring them to Nigeria for talks but they avoided each other and came at different times. However, they were to later meet and I had them sitting beside me. I had two pistols loaded so I said to them, ‘I will give you each a gun so you can fight. The one who dies we will bury him here while the one who wins will go and fight the struggle.

They were surprised and argued it was too drastic a way to resolve their differences. I must say it seemed to have worked because just after that they went and formed the Patriotic Front and won independence for Zimbabwe.

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